Car coupling



H. M. BROWN.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATIQN man NOV-7.1921.

1,439,1 I Patented Sept. 12,1921

wmvessgs V 0m Patented Sept. 12 1922.

nanny M. BROWN, on NEW Kn sINe'roN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAB COUPLING.

Application filed. November 7, 1921. Serial No. 513,248.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HARRY M. BROWN, residing at New Kensington, in the county of \Vest moreland and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Im provements in Car Couplingsof which im 'provements the following is a specification. My invention relates to improvements in couplingsfor cars adapted to'be drawn in trains. It is primarily intended and is par ticularly adapted for uniting mine cars. 1

, The coupling of my invention is one which.

locks automatically and is durable under the conditions of service particularly in this, that themine-car to which it is attached may be dumped and that the body of out-dumped coal may pass over'it in stream without doing it injury, and without being able to enter within the coupler norto-clog nor interfere with the subsequent proper functioning of'its parts. s the accompanying view- In which the adjacent ends of two coupled cars are indicated diagrammatically, while thecoupler of my present invention, by which they are united, is shown in vertical and longitudinal section; Fig. II is a View of the same assembly in plan from above. Fig. III is a fragmentary view cor responding to Fig. I, but showing the parts in another position. In these'drawings the bodies of two cars are indicated at 1 and 2. The coupling members presently to be described are mounted upon the cars inany; suitable manner. Conveniently the manner of mounting may be that shown. in the drawings: 'the'bed structures: of the cars are here shown toe'xtendbeyond the end walls and to form platforms 3, 4, and upon these plat forms the coupling parts are shown to be secured by bolting. Y

The couplinghere shown includes as the essential uniting Inember'a coupling link secured at opposite ends to the two cars by meansof coupling pins, and affording the flexible union long familiar in this art. This coupling link isin its adaptation tomy in-- vention preferably modified in structure, as

presently will be explained,but it is after all essentially the coupling link familiar to the a 1 v -Ipreferably provide dissimilar structures. anchored in-the opposing ends of thetwo cars, for pinninglink and car together. It

drawin s Fi Iisa is not essential to my invention in its broader aspect that these structures be dissimilar;

but, since in mining service there ordinarily s no need to reverse the cars, I preferably provide dissimilar structures, one of which while in service always carries a coupling l nk and wh ch when coupl ng is to be ef- ,fected presents the linkto the complemen tary'structure, while the other structure is that within which coupling is automatically completed, V Y I shallfirst describethat one of the two structures which in service always-carries the coupling link it is the, structure shown at the left in the drawings. This structure consists essentially of a verticallystanding clevis 6, through the prongs of which is introduced the coupling The stem 20 "of I the clevis be it remarked, may extend the length of the car andat its opposite'end bolted to a complementary couplingstructure of the particular construction presently to-be described. By such provision the car body is relievedof traction strains. I The coupling pin here takes the form ofa bolt.

7 which when in place is secured by screwthreaded union with the clevisitself- The coupling link 5 is modified from the simple familiar form by having formedat one end an eye, through which eye the bolt 7 passes; and, bolt 7 being screwed to place, link 5 is free .to turn pivotally on the coupling pinvbut is secured against longitudinal movement of any substantial extent. A, spring 8 interposed on one. side" of the link '5 (preferably the upper side) sustainsythe link against drooping, and causes it always to extend'in horizontal plane from the clevis 6, or substantially so.

Turning attention now'to the companion structure, it will be recognized by those'familiar with the art to consist essentially of a draw-head of bull-nose type, provided with an outwardly flaring open nose. The con pling-pin"with which this draw-head is equlpped is, however, considerablymodified from its simple and elementarylform, and becomes a vertically swinging automatically cperatedlatch 10. This latch is hook shaped, and its essential features are, first, an-inner surface 11 upon which whenthe latch is in closed position (the position shown in the ment. It will flirt-herbs remarked in this connection that this surface of the latch, may

drawings) the link 5 makes traction engagebe and here shown is so curved as to be more secure against dislodgment from engagementwith the coupling link than is the coupling pin of ordinary construction. The second essential feature of this hook-shaped latch 10 is that the outer surface 12 of the hook extends, when the hook is closed, in a plane oblique to the line of car movement. Accordingly, in coupling, the link 5 entering the bull-nose and bearing upon this obliquely disposed surface eflects an upward swinging of the hook. which is a feature of the auto.

matic coupling, presently to be more fully described. A third feature of this hookshaped latch is that it is through its shank pivoted to the draw-head in such manner as to allow to the latch a range of independent movement longitudinally within the drawhead. This end is, in the particular embodiment of the invention here presented, achieved by forming in the shank of the latch an elongate pivot hole 18, through which acylindrical pivot pin 14 extends. A fourth feature of the latch is such a proportioning that in the range of its longitudinal movement within the draw-head, to which allusion has just been made, it abuts at its forward end 15 upon a suitably disposed portion 16 of the draw-head, and thus the strains of traction, instead of being sustained by the pivot pin 14, are borne by the abutment of parts here alluded to.

The drawings show the structure in closed position and under traction. I here call attention to the notched configuration of the hook 10 where it abuts upon the portion 16 of the draw-head, and, together with this, to the curvature of the surface of the hook (already mentioned) where engaged by link 5. With attention directed to these two features, a careful study of Fig. I will show how securely the hook when under traction is secured against jumping from or being thrust from place.

A spring 17 tends yieldingly to hold the hook both in looking position and in retracted position. v

The hook may be provided with an eye 18. by which the hook may the more readily e swung manually, as is necessary in un coupling and as may be desired under other circumstances. The eve 18 affords also anchorage for attaching a rope. when a car is to be dragged bv mule-power or in other casual manner. The parts may be so proportioned that a'bar 19 may be thrust beneath the shank of the hook when the latter s in raised and unlocking position and this bar resting. as shown in Fig. TIT. upon the draw-head itself will sustain thehook in unlocking position. There are times when it is desirable to put the coupler out of service.

I particularly call attention to the fact that the opening through the upper wall of the bull-nose 9 is of width, substantially that of the hook 10; and that the hook 10 whether in lowermost position (Fig. I) or in up ermost position (Fig. 111) entirely fills this opening and extends above the general upper surface of the bull-nose and that from the rear of the coupler the wall of the bull-nose extends hood-like over the pivot point of the hook. A consideration of these things makes plain that when the adjacent end gate of the car 2 is removed and the car is dumped in the usual manner by spilling it from the end toward the left as seen in Fig. I, the outflowing stream of coal which is spilled from the car passes over the coupling head without in anyway disturbing its organization or its arrangement of parts. The outflowing coal is deflected from every surface of the coupler, and there is no recess nor downwardly-extending opening into which fragments of coal may enter to take lodgment or to block the subsequent free operation of the coupler.

Operation will readily be understood. Fig. I shows the coupling closed and under traction, but it will be easy to imagine the cars separated, link 5 disengaged from hook 10, and hook 1O retracted, by spring 17 (the spring here is under tension) until the pivot pin 14 passes through slot 13 at the anterior end and notch 15 is free of engagement with the portion 16 of the draw-head. When the coupling so stands open the link 5 protrudes from the clevis-shaped draw-head of car 1 (on the left) in substantially horizontal plane. It is held by spring 8 from drooping. When coupling is tobe effected an attendant swings the link 5 horizontally if such. swinging be necessary, to insure the entrance of the protruding end of the link into the opening of draw-head 9 as the cars are run together. As the cars then approach, link 5 enters draw-head 9 and, abutting upon oblique surface 12, swings latch 10. Passing on, the link clears the latch, whereupon the latch under spring tension swings back to closed position rearward ofthe advance end of the link and into the loop of the link, and so coupling is automatically effected. This has occured while the hook is in its rearwardly retracted position, and in that position the hook is free to swing pivotally. When thereafter traction strain comes upon the closed coupling, link 5 engaging immediately hook 10 draws it forwardly or outwardly with respect to the draw-head, until the hook abuts at 15 upon the part 16. and there the strains of traction. are borne. Fig. I, as has been said, shows the parts in this position.

When uncoupling is to be effected. the coupled cars are backed together until by virtue of the slackbetweenthem hook 10 may be swung. The hook may be swung manually and. the cars then separating, link 5 will escape freely from draw-head 91.

The adaptation of the coupler to the conditions of service in dumping the car have already been made plain.

I claim as my invention:

In a coupler for mine ears, the combination of a coupler head of bull-nose type having a hooded rear portion and a'slot through its top in advance of the hooded portion, and a coupling hook pivoted in the coupling 10 head under the hooded portion the coupling hook, throughout its range of pivotal movement, protruding upwardly through the slot in the coupler head.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset J my hand;

HARRY M. BROWN.

l/Vitnesses:

BAYARD H. CHRIs'rY, FRANCIS J TOMASSON. 

